Patziku Perurena Loyarte

Goizueta (Navarre),1959.

Born into a farming family and a farming community he was raised exclusively in Basque in a society that was intimately attached to its environment until he went to live in Leitza (Navarre) at the age of 12.

He did his basic schooling and vocational training in Leitza in Spanish and at the age of 16 went to Arrasate (Mondragon, in Gipuzkoa) and while he was studying engineering at the Polytechnic School there, he began to work on and study the Basque he had learnt at home, and in one way or another has continued in these pursuits until today.

"My enthusiasm for Basque literature was kindled by some literature courses given by Joseba Sarrionandia in Leitza one summer; and then a few years after that, thanks to meeting Eduardo Gil-Bera, I retrieved my lost identity and name: Patziku; because until then I used Patxi. After that I never ceased to express my admiration and thanks towards these two dear enlighteners," he says.

He became known through his poems, with the book Joannes d'Iraolaren poema bilduma (1985). This book earned him the Irun City award. When analysing his poetry, Koldo Izagirre writes: "Patziku Peruena has the capacity to name all the smells, sounds, tastes, colours..., in other words to describe all the shades of nature and knows exactly what «the smell of each cut and uncut grass is like»".

In 1987 he published his novel Emily. And used it as a "heteronym" to go on to publish a selection of poems on behalf of the character Emily.

He has also conducted philological research Euskarak sorgindutako numeroak eta Koloreak euskal usarioan, in addition to writing an ethnographic work on the history of Leitza: Leitzako errege-erreginak.